Capitalism and Slavery

Couverture
UNC Press Books, 30 juin 2014 - 307 pages
Slavery helped finance the Industrial Revolution in England. Plantation owners, shipbuilders, and merchants connected with the slave trade accumulated vast fortunes that established banks and heavy industry in Europe and expanded the reach of capitalism worldwide. Eric Williams advanced these powerful ideas in Capitalism and Slavery, published in 1944. Years ahead of its time, his profound critique became the foundation for studies of imperialism and economic development. Binding an economic view of history with strong moral argument, Williams's study of the role of slavery in financing the Industrial Revolution refuted traditional ideas of economic and moral progress and firmly established the centrality of the African slave trade in European economic development. He also showed that mature industrial capitalism in turn helped destroy the slave system. Establishing the exploitation of commercial capitalism and its link to racial attitudes, Williams employed a historicist vision that set the tone for future studies.
In a new introduction, Colin Palmer assesses the lasting impact of Williams's groundbreaking work and analyzes the heated scholarly debates it generated when it first appeared.

 

Table des matières

1 The Origin of Negro Slavery
3
2 The Development of the Negro Slave Trade
30
3 British Commerce and the Triangular Trade
51
4 The West India Interest
85
5 British Industry and the Triangular Trade
98
6 The American Revolution
108
7 The Development of British Capitalism 17831833
126
8 The New Industrial Order
135
10 The Commercial Part of the Nation and Slavery
169
11 The Saints and Slavery
178
12 The Slaves and Slavery
197
13 Conclusion
209
Notes
213
Bibliography
262
Index
271
Droits d'auteur

9 British Capitalism and the West Indies
154

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À propos de l'auteur (2014)

The late Eric Williams was prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1961 until his death in 1981. Prior to entering politics, he was professor of political and social science at Howard University.

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